1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to an improved computer system and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for processing reviews. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for arranging a presentation of reviews for an item based on influences on a reader of the reviews.
2. Background
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that link computers and other data processing systems worldwide. The connections are made through an array of electronic, wireless, and optical networking technologies. The Internet provides an extensive range of information and services.
The Internet is used to perform a variety of activities. For example, users employ the Internet to read articles, watch news reports, listen to music, send messages, perform research, play online games, perform banking, purchase products and services, pay bills, talk to other people using voice communications, and perform other activities over the Internet.
For example, users may access information in documents or in other forms on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web, which is also referred to just as the Web, is an open source information space accessed through the Internet. Users typically access web pages. Web pages are primarily text documents that are formatted in a markup language, such as hypertext markup language (HTML). In addition to the formatted text, the web pages may also include images, video, software components, or other elements that are presented through a web browser. The presentation may be a display of information, an audio presentation, a multimedia presentation, or some combination thereof.
An organization, such as a company, a partnership, a charity, an educational group, a social group, a team, a city, a government agency, or some other suitable organization, may establish a presence on the Web using a website. Some organizations may perform various transactions using a website. For example, a business may offer goods or services to users through a website.
With the vast number of businesses that offer goods or services over the Web, identifying which businesses have good customer service, are reputable, or have other characteristics that are desirable in making purchases may be harder to identify than desired. Also, many products and services are present. Selecting one product or service from the myriad of products and services available may be difficult with all of the choices and options available.
One manner in which users select products or services and businesses are through reviews. Reviews have become commonplace on the Web. Reviewers who purchase products or services may provide feedback in the form of reviews. The reviews may give information about products, services, and businesses that offer products or services. This information includes the opinions formed by the reviewers for the products, services, and businesses. These reviews may be located on websites of the businesses offering items. Also, review sites are present that function as a central location for accessing reviews. A review site is a website on which reviews may be posted about people, organizations, products, or services.
Although reviews are useful, some products, services, or businesses may have hundreds or thousands of reviews that a user may view in establishing an opinion about whether to make a purchase. Reading all of the reviews may be more time-consuming than desired. Additionally, reading the reviews may be confusing when some reviewers provide high marks for an item while other reviewers give low marks for the same item. Thus, identifying which reviews may be more reliable than other reviews may be more difficult than desired in addition to the number of reviews that may be present for a particular item.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues. For example, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that overcome a technical problem with users identifying reviews that are useful in establishing opinions about items.